What If
by Daliastarr
Summary: The future wasn't set in stone, but some things were unavoidable. Danny didn't care, he couldn't accept that. What if...
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If you have actually taken the time to read this author's note, there are just a few things I would like to say. Don't worry I won't have ridiculously long rants before every chapter, I promise. Anyways, I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. Constructive criticism can only benefit my writing, praise boosts my confidence, and Flames make for wonderful conversation starters and jokes. I don't mind if anyone points out any trivial mistakes or issues, I'd like to fix them if I can. Also I want to update at least once every week, so if I miss a deadline you have my permission to bug and nag me until I do.

Disclaimer: I don't own either Danny Phantom or Young Justice.

* * *

For the past four days Danny Fenton had been reliving the same moment over and over again like a broken record. The Nasty Burger was gone, taking his friends and family away with it. For the past four days, Danny Fenton had hunted for the mistake that sent his loved ones to their death. Danny ran through every possible scenario, making every change in every possible combination, desperately searching for a different outcome. What if he had been stronger? What if he hadn't been forced to change into Fenton? What if he never went to the future? No matter what he could have done, nothing changed.

What if Danny had used the thermos sooner rather than attempting to weaken Dan? No. Dan was too powerful; he would have escaped. But what if Dan couldn't escape? No. The bonds Dan had used on his family were ghost-proof and neither Fenton nor Phantom could have removed them. Once again the Nasty Burger explodes, Dan escapes, everybody dies. Clockwork had told him that there was nothing he could have done, not even going so far back as to never having ventured into the portal and receiving his ghost powers would have averted this disaster. The future wasn't set in stone, but some things were unavoidable. Danny didn't care, he couldn't accept that. What if...

* * *

Mrs. Davis gazed at the boy with an overwhelming sense of pity. Daniel "Danny" Fenton hadn't spoken a word in four days. In fact he hadn't done anything at all in the past four days to her knowledge. He had just sat there on the hospital bed facing the window with his hands covering his face. He looked so calm, peaceful even, but Mrs. Davis knew better, and she was certain that the poor kid was at war inside drowning in grief. She just wished he would open up and let someone help him.

Being a social worker Mrs. Davis had seen many kids in situations similar to Danny's. She had seen too many children suddenly and violently orphaned whether from a car crash, fire, or a robbery that went terribly wrong. The kids never wanted to talk about what happened, especially the teenagers, and occasionally some would even refuse to talk for a day or so, but they all opened up eventually. Never before had anyone closed off the world so completely as Danny Fenton had.

Lost in thought, Mrs. Davis nearly screamed when a knock at the door startled her. She stole a glance at Danny, who didn't even react to the sudden interruption, before turning towards the door. She barely gripped the handle when the door swung open nearly knocking her down. Instantly she was greeted by the smiling face of Vladimir Masters.

"Good Evening ma'am" Masters said grabbing her hand and shaking it violently. "Is young Daniel awake?"

"Mr. Masters, as I have stated numerous times, Mr. Fenton is not receiving any visitors at this time." Barely able to hide the venom in her voice, Mrs. Davis gestured to the door pleading that Masters would take her invitation to leave. This had to be at least the fifth visit Masters had made in the past four days.

Unmoved, Masters flashed a smile so fake it might as well have been plastic. "But surely the little badger can't continue to hide in his hole for the rest of his life. He will have to rejoin the world eventually. Why not ease him into society now with people he knows, people he trusts?" Masters placed his hand over his heart with a little bow to emphasize his point.

"Mr. Fenton has gone through a very traumatic experience, Mr. Masters, he will rejoin the world in time, but as of this moment Mr. Fenton is not receiving ANY visitors and I must ask that you leave."

"Yes, Yes I will leave, but I will be back. I just can't bear to be away from young Daniel in his time of need." Masters paused obviously expecting Mrs. Davis to respond. When she remained silent he just continued, "I understand that it is your job to find a guardian for Daniel, I hope you realize that you will never find a more able guardian than myself. I have the wealth, time, and space to care for a child, and I am a close family friend."

Mrs. Davis grew angry as she silently opened the door and ushered Mr. Masters out,then quickly shut the door. With a sigh of relief Mrs. Davis collapsed back onto her chair and returned her attention to Danny. Despite her dislike for Amity Park's newest resident billionaire, he had presented many valid points. Danny Fenton would have to rejoin the world sooner rather than later, and as much as relinquishing the care of Danny to Masters disturbed her, there truly was no other candidate. Foster care seemed like such a terrible idea for Danny. The decision regarding Danny's living situation was very soon, and it would go so much smoother if Danny's input was added. Maybe she should try talking to him again.

"Danny." she said softly walking over to his bedside. When he didn't respond Mrs. Davis decided to try to force him to pay attention. Removing his hands from his face, Mrs. Davis brought herself to his eye level and once again said his name, but when she saw his eyes she gasped. Maybe Masters was right, Danny needed to be around people, but not him. Of that she was sure.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey Guys! thanks to all those who reviewed. Someone pointed out that there was a formatting issue in the first chapter where some words ran together. The funny thing is, It's not like that when I'm writing or editing. I believe I fixed the problem but if it still continues to happen please let me know. Thank you and Enjoy.

* * *

"You know, Robin, for someone who fights crime you spend a lot of time participating in illegal activities."

"Lay off KF. It's not like I'm stealing anything... I'm just taking a peek at some information."

"Information that is highly protected by the Federal government and not available for public use." Kid Flash scowled at Robin, who was currently flopped over upside-down on the couch next to him typing away at the holographic computer on his wrist. "Who are the G.I.W. anyway?"

"If Batman didn't approve of my hacking he wouldn't have taught me in the first place." Robin mumbled to his best friend ignoring the second question for the time being. The Guys In White had a surprisingly asterous security program. When his usual virus was defeated, Robin decided he would try to gain access through a password rather than risk detection by trying another virus. It was almost a challenge. Almost. He just had to find the right function for the right password to the right account, and even though he had all of those already he didn't know which pieces went together. It was all just guess- GOT IT! "0p3nsesaM3," he voiced aloud, "Really?" Robin smirked opening the now unlocked files. "Now what skeletons are hiding in your closet?" Robin could see KF strain his neck to get a better look at the computer out of the corner of his eye. "Whoa! I did not mean that literally!" Maybe he should 'borrow' these files.

"Are you copying those files now? You are! Dude, that's the government! This is totally illegal!" Kid Flash's protests filled the cave.

"Leave him alone, Baywatch. We both know how often his hacking has saved our sorry butts." Artemis said announcing her arrival. Robin looked up and sent her a grateful smile noticing Aqualad by her side. "So, the government?" She continued directing her attention at Robin. "FBI? CIA? Pentagon? White House?"

"None of the above actually," Robin replied finishing skimming the files and downloading them before then quickly exiting. "G.I.W. a.k.a. the Guys In White: your everyday top secret government paranormal agency. But you won't believe what I found." Looking up Robin saw Aqualad about to rebuke him for his latest internet escapade. If rebuke means to scold does buke mean encourage? Robin made a mental note to use that one later. Before Aqualad could speak however, Robin opened his "borrowed" files on the large cave displays. Robin laughed inwardly as his teammates expressions changed from curious, if skeptical of his actions, to completely confused and a tiny bit amused.

"Ghosts?" KF scoffed. "Robin, are you seriously saying that the government has a top secret agency devoted to ghosts?" Then he started laughing.

"Shut it Kid-mouth." Artemis slapped KF on the back of his head. "Zatana and I helped a ghost take down her murderer last Halloween."

"Yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it. I bet you five bucks ghosts aren't real" Kid Flash jabbed at Artemis.

"Fine, you're on." She smirked. "First to get proof wins."

"As absolutely fascinating as your conversation has become" Robin interjected layering on as much sarcasm as is humanly possible. "I believe we have gotten off topic. As I was about to say, the G.I.W. was formed a little over a year ago solely because of the sudden whelming amount of paranormal activity in one town...Amity Park."

The team let out an involuntary and collective gasp as dozens of pictures, video clips, and sketches flooded the holographic screens each one containing a monster more terrifyingly hideous than the last. One photo depicted a metal looking humanoid figure, every inch of the armor covered with weaponry. Another was a clip of a black knight riding what Robin likened to a death horse with torn wings and large fangs. Although perhaps the most terrifying was of a large man with an eye-patch, sickeningly pale skin, and a large flaming green crown floating above his head. The Ghost sported a malicious and murderous smile that sent a shiver down Robin's spine. None of the ghosts were particularly revolting as one would expect, but they all shared the same wild, dangerous, and animalistic look accented by their glowing eyes and bodies of various colors.

It was Robin that broke the silence that had crept up on the four teammates. "These photos are not doctored or fabricated in any way, I'm almost positive. This is real."

"How did we not know of these creatures?" Aqualad asked calmly and obviously more interested than frightened.

"The only real pictures I can find were taken by the G.I.W. and they've kept this quiet. The League and the rest of the world wrote off these ghost stories as a way of attracting tourists. It only caught my attention because of this..." with one swipe of a finger all the images were replaced by pictures of an exotic but very human family and the ruins of a small building. "The Fenton Family, Jack and Madeline Fenton, their two children Daniel and Jasmine as well as two family friends and a teacher were all attacked by an extremely malevolent ghost four days ago. Only their son survived. I read about it while surfing the internet, but the inconsistencies caused me to dig deeper, which led to the G.I.W. which led to this."

"Who...or what attacked them?" Artemis asked fixated on the family portrait floating above her head.

"According to the G.I.W. Danny Phantom, local ghost hero/menace... but I don't think so."

"Why not?" Kid Flash asked seemingly finally regaining his voice.

"For a couple reasons, number one and most obviously this is a picture of Phantom one day before the attack and this is the ghost that attacked the Fentons." A picture of a relatively short teen with white hair and green eyes appeared next to that of a tall built man with red eyes. the two ghosts shared a similar color scheme and outfit, but that was where the similarities stopped. "Secondly," Robin continued "Even though it is possible that such a drastic difference in appearance could have literally happened overnight, I for one don't know how ghosts age or what determines their appearance, but until that moment Phantom was recognized as the town's hero, and in my experience sudden changes from hero to villain are usually very explosive."

"I would count killing an entire family of ghost hunters as explosive." Kid Flash remarked.

"But this ghost must have been 'evil' before the incident if switching sides was the cause of the appearance changes as that picture was taken minutes before the explosion, but phantom was seen and described as 'normal' just an hour before. According to the timeline and If the change from good to evil altered his appearance any explosive accompaniments should have happened earlier. "

"I am impressed Robin, but I am confused as to why you would bring this to our attention? Unless you believe these ghosts are in connection to the missing sixteen hours?" Aqualad stated.

"Do you mean besides the fact that he just bested the government by disproving their best theory on a high-profile MURDER case?" KF perked up laying an arm across Robin's shoulders.

"That." Robin frowned brushing off his friend. "among other reasons." Did his team really think him so immature.

"I do not approve of you using sensitive topics such as real murders as a form of enjoyment, and I doubt Batman would as well." Aqualad scolded before turning away with the others following. Apparently they did think he was that immature.

Robin scowled at the retreating forms of his teammates. Once he was sure everyone had left he called out, "What do you think B?"

"Why do you really care Robin?" His mentor asked cautiously stepping out of the shadows.

Knowing it would be unwise to stall quickly brought up a picture of a young boy next to the young phantom. "This is their son Daniel."

"No." Batman stated firmly.

Robin had expected this. "He does bear the family resemblance..."

"No."

"...and other similarities." Robin continued "He probably needs some help."

"No."

"He seems experienced."

"Robin."

"You haven't even met him."

"No, Robin."

"Can we at least track down the killer? Take the case? It's been forever since we traveled and who best to tell us exactly what happened than the only surviving victim." Robin swallowed his pride and practically pleaded with Gotham's dark Knight.

"Get in the car." Batman turned and stormed away to the zeta tubes.

Victory.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello again everyone!. Thank you all for reading my story. I especially want to thank Blak-Ice, whose comment inspired a thought for a later chapter in this story. Thanks again and please review.

* * *

It was almost Midnight when two dark silhouettes filled the doorway of Daniel James Fenton's hospital room. The Dynamic Duo entered and quickly set about examining the room. Robin's eyes were immediately drawn to the small form of a person on the bed. The person, a teenage boy, seemed to be the room's only occupant. The boy was sitting on the still made bed with his back against the metal headrest and his legs curled up against his chest. His head drooped into his hands which were resting on his knees. The boy's entire body was wrapped in bandages covering, what Robin expected to be, third degree burns. Assumedly this was Danny. Danny's unsteady breathing and the stiffness of his body told Robin that the boy was very much awake. Despite this, Danny seemed completely oblivious to the arrival of the crime fighters. In fact, if it weren't for the occasional rise and fall of his chest, Robin would have thought Danny was dead. ...Well...

Both Batman and Robin simultaneously stepped towards Danny. It always made Robin proud how "in sync" he and his mentor were. Robin allowed Batman to take the lead, watching as Batman cautiously reached out to touch the boy's shoulder. There was no response. Danny still didn't seem to notice either of the heroes or the sudden invasion of his personal space. Batman then touched Danny's shoulder and began to gently shake him. There was still no reaction. The kid was either really out of it, dead asleep, or extremely good at ignoring people.

When continuous, harder shaking and attempting to speak with Danny yielded no results, Batman grabbed both of Danny's wrists in order to wrench them away from his face. Before he could however, a small blue mist escaped Danny's mouth and the soft sound of an engine leaked into the room. As the noise grew louder, a small green light appeared approaching the window. Robin instinctually melted back into the shadows. Dropping into a defensive position, he silently grabbed a few batarangs from his utility belt and looked to his mentor hiding in the shadows a few feet from him.

What came through the window was not what Robin was expecting. For starters, the thing came _through_ the window! Also, the thing was _glowing, _and _floating_ just a few inches off the ground. It was a metal humanoid figure resembling some sort of high-tech armor. Robin recognized it from one of his borrowed G.I.W. files. Its name was Skull or Sulker or something like that. Still, there was a difference between reading about a "highly dangerous entity" and seeing one less than three feet away from you. The ghost turned towards Danny with a vicious smile that sent a shiver down Robin's spine. Of course, that could have been from the sudden drop of temperature in the room.

"There you are Ghost Child." The ghost's voice echoed slightly with each word. "Your time for mourning has ended. Prepare to fight." Robin did.

The ghost seemed very distraught by Danny's lack of response. It stopped looking confusedly at the boy for a few moments before suddenly exploding into a fit of rage as it lunged toward Danny. "Tonight I shall hang your pelt on my wall." EW! Robin raised a batarang, ready to strike.

Batman beat him to the punch...literally. Out of nowhere, a fist connected with the metal jaw of the ghost. The ghost stumbled backwards turning its attention to its assailant. Batman's next attack failed as his batarang simply went through the ghost's body. Probably with the same trick the ghost used then it flew through the window earlier, Robin noted. Robin also noticed how both times the ghost's image was reduced to just a faint outline of it's body, although its glow remained.

"Such simple attacks can not harm me." The ghost laughed and lunged at Batman in the same manner as it had lunged at Danny. Just before it's attack hit the color returned to the ghost's body. Batman, of course, easily sidestepped the attack. Robin then threw a small explosive disk at the ghost which exploded on impact. The small blast did not damage the room, but it succeeded in destroying the ghosts armor. What remained was a small green blob able to fit inside Robin's palm.

"Simple attacks seem to work well enough for me." Robin quipped stepping out of the shadows. Laughing, Robin picked up the small ghost with one hand. "It's so cute, Batman, can I keep it?" He mocked.

The tiny specter started to protest the comment, claiming to be the "Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," and vowing revenge on the young hero for defeating him. Robin opened the window and playfully flicked the ghost sending him flying into the night sky. It wasn't as if they could have caught him anyways with that intangibility trick of his. Robin wondered if all ghosts were this easy to defeat. Glancing back at Danny, Robin frowned and quickly thought otherwise.

With the small threat gone, both crime fighters returned to examining the room. Out of the corner of his eye Robin saw a something small fly past him. Catching it with two fingers, Robin found it was a bug, an honest to gosh beetle shaped video and listening device. Robin waved at the camera before placing it in a small lead-lined compartment of his utility belt.

Robin returned his attention to Danny. Batman had resumed his attempts at waking the boy. He had successfully pried Danny's hands from his face, and what Robin saw surprised him. Danny's eyes were glowing green, and their expression was one that Robin was all to familiar with. They were not the eyes of someone grieving for loved ones, they were the eyes of hate and determination. Those were Robin's eyes when he first fought Tony Zucco, and all the times he had come face to face with that scumbag since. Robin felt Danny's anger and pain and understood.

Batman turned away, picked up the remains of the ghost's armor, and headed towards the door. Robin reluctantly followed. Once in the Batwing Robin informed Batman about the bug he had found. Batman only grunted in response.

"What are you going to do now?" Robin asked

"Call my lawyer."

Robin just nodded. He had gotten what he wanted, but he couldn't be happy. Not yet.

* * *

Vladimir Masters was not happy. Mere days after permanently moving to Amity Park, a new ghost appeared and destroyed everything He and Daniel held dear. He had been repeatedly snuffed by that fool of a social worker, and now Halloween had arrived early and was snooping around Daniel's room. To top it off, Skulker decided to show his face even after Vlad had made it perfectly clear Daniel was off limits indefinitely. Vlad had to admit he was rather disturbed with how easily the young Hero had defeated Skulker and found his bug.

Vlad had spent years keeping himself, ghosts, and Amity Park out of the Justice Leagues attention, but this little fiasco has destroyed all of that. Vlad had no illusions about the power and skill of the Justice League, and with The Batman seemingly leading the investigation it was only a matter of time before the detective solved a few riddles Vlad would rather leave unsolved. It could only be a matter of days before someone was barging through his door looking for Plasmius. It could even be worse, the League could find out about Daniel, and the everything Vlad had worked so hard to achieve. He had already lost Maddie; he would not loose Daniel as well.

"Stacy," Vlad paged his secretary, "I know that it is late but would you please contact my attorney?"


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey guys! I really wanted to post this sooner, but I got tied up in another writing escapade that is turning out to be much longer and more involved than I originally anticipated. That story should be out by the end of the week (I hope) in its entirety. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, rushed though it may be. Thanks to all who reviewed, and please continue to review as well! Any advice as to how to improve this story, or just specific chapters in general is greatly appreciated.

* * *

Mrs. Davis was shocked; not even Annie was this lucky. Here she was, standing between two of the wealthiest men in the world, who were currently in a VERY heated argument about what would be best for Danny. Both men, of course, thought the answer was living with them, and Mrs. Davis had to admit she was torn. Danny's injuries were almost healed and Mrs. Davis feared he would soon be placed in the foster care system, something she had been considering a worst case scenario. Danny's only other living relative, his aunt Alicia, was unreachable. The Mansons had already very publicly blamed Danny for their daughter's death and the Foleys were too overwhelmed by grief to care for Danny. Foster care had seemingly been the only option, at least until two billionaires had simultaneously offered to care for the boy.

"Surely Mr. Wayne, there is nothing you can offer Daniel that I can not, and I am a close family friend, while you are a stranger."Mrs. Davis could obviously see that Masters was struggling to contain his anger. It was true that Masters was a family friend, but it was also reported that Danny often displayed open dislike for Masters. "I also live here, in Amity Park, where Daniel has lived his entire life. If he lived with you he would be separated from everything he has ever known."

"Yes, but from what I have heard, Danny experienced violent bullying daily at school. His only two friends were Miss Manson and Mr. Foley. I fear that this incident will only further isolate Danny from his peers." Bruce Wayne calmly countered. Mrs. Davis admired Mr. Wayne's ability to remain calm and professional even during trying circumstances, something Masters was having a very difficult time with at the moment. "In Gotham he can have a fresh start."

"Gotham." Masters spat out the word as if it were poison. "Gotham is filled with psychopaths running rampant through the streets. Gotham has had the highest recorded crime rate in the country for the past twenty years. Is it really a good idea to bring a child into such a situation after such a traumatic experience?"

"I understand your concern, Mr. Masters, but Gotham's crime rate has steadily declined over the past few years. Besides, Amity Park is not without its dangers. Ghosts 'run rampant' in this town, one of whom apparently had a grudge against the Fentons and murdered Danny's friends and family. I've heard that the ghost wasn't caught. Who can say if it won't come after Danny again? I believe it would be safer for Danny if he was removed from this town."

Mrs. Davis' head seemed to spin as she tried to keep up with the billionaires' fast pace debate. From what she could tell neither case was ideal for Danny. Both cities were an extremely dangerous place to live. She was well aware of Gotham City's protector, the Batman, who was almost entirely responsible for the sudden decline of crime in Gotham, and while the knowledge of some protection in Gotham appealed to her, handing Danny over to a complete stranger made Mrs. Davis apprehensive. Both candidates were equally qualified to care for Danny for completely different reasons. Unfortunately, they both were very unqualified as well.

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Masters, I am afraid I must express a concern." Mrs. Davis cut in hoping her question might help in her decision. "Both of you are the CEO of large companies, and that your jobs are also occasionally very time consuming. Danny has been very withdrawn lately and requires a lot of attention. I am afraid that neither of you would have the time to care for him properly."

"That is a valid concern," Mr. Wayne answered almost immediately. "And it is true that my job does require a good deal of my time. However, Danny would hardly be alone. Both my butler, Alfred, and my ward, Richard, will be there for him in my times of absence. I do always try to put my family first, Mrs. Davis."

Mrs. Davis was shocked. "I was not aware you had a son."

"Ward." Wayne corrected. "I could never replace his father."

The conversation seemed to end after that remark. Mrs. Davis thanked the Billionaires for their time and both men, after thanking her as well, left the room. One had left completely calm, the other slightly angry, but both had only the best intentions for Danny. This was going to be a very hard decision indeed.

* * *

Dick had spent the last hour pacing his room waiting for Alfred and Bruce to return. Bruce received the call two days ago and the Manor had been in a state of chaos ever since. Alfred had immediately ordered the cleaning of the entire mansion, going so far as allowing Dick to hang from the main entrance's chandelier in order to dust it. Even the Batcave had gone under a meticulous inspection and cleaning, which Dick had found very amusing. He remembered Alfred's response when Dick had complained about having to scrub the cave walls.

"Master Dick." Alfred had stated professionally, "There has never been a single person to step foot in this manor that hasn't accidentally stumbled into this room. I expect this time to be no different, and I am determined to have this cave look presentable when it happens. How you and Master Bruce have been able to keep your Identities secret is beyond me."

Dick chuckled at the memory, wholeheartedly agreeing with Alfred on every point. He was sure his new brother would find their secret base eventually, and It would be nice if there wasn't dried blood on the floor this time, even if Wally's reaction was hysterical. Dick also hoped to be in the batcave when it happened, lest his poor brother have to deal with Batman alone.

A brother. Dick was going to have a brother. He was still trying to come to terms with this fact, and every time the thought hit him there was a sudden wave of conflicting emotions that came with it. He had always wanted a brother, someone who he shared a special relationship with that was closer than any friend could ever get. Sure, Dick sometimes viewed his team as his family, but the secrets he kept placed him at a distance from all of them, even Wally. Now that he had a brother, or as close to one as he would probably ever get, he was ecstatic.

Dick scolded himself every time that happiness overcame him, which is where his emotions conflicted. He couldn't let himself feel happy about the circumstances which led to the extension of his family. Even in mount Justice, when the name Daniel Fenton had first come to Dick's attention, the horrible reality of the murders never really hit him. It wasn't until Dick had seen Danny in person that he was reminded of the intense pain that came with the sudden loss of your family. This was not the way someone should gain a brother, and so Dick's moments of happiness sent a pang of guilt through his heart as well.

UGH! Just once Dick wanted his emotions to flict instead of conflict. He wondered if this was how Bruce had felt when taking him in; if this was how Bruce felt now.

The sound of the limo pulling into the driveway finally floated through the window. Dick stopped his pacing, gulped nervously, and ran downstairs to greet his family. Stopping at the front door to collect himself, Dick marched outside at an awkward pace between a walk and a run unable to decide which was appropriate.

The limo door opened, and Bruce stepped out leading Danny by the hand. Dick said hello and tried to introduce himself, but it was obvious that Danny was still stuck in his own world. Bruce then quickly mumbled something about paperwork and being back soon before handing Danny off to Dick.

It was a slow walk as Dick led Danny to his new room. As soon as they got there Danny sat on the bed and resumed his position that Dick had seem him in at the hospital. Seeing this, Dick's emotions finally settled into a want to help the boy. It became very clear to him that even though Danny was two years older, Dick would have to be the mentor this time.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hey guys Sorry this took a while. Something else managed to commandeer my free time, namely, AP Calculus (for those of you who can't comprehend my pain just imagine two full class periods of the hardest math class you've ever taken and your teacher has that voice that reads you bedtime stories) Also I am well aware that this chapter is a bit short. This is because I ended up combining two chapters and cutting a lot of the subplot out to use in the next chapter. Anywho... Please review and thanks for reading!

P.S. Brownie points to whoever understands the term NSS! (I just didn't want to write the phrase out)

* * *

Something was wrong. It had been almost two weeks since he'd blown up his old blasted family and sorry excuses for friends, and still nothing had happened. Surely his younger self had gone to Masters by now. Surely by now the little wimp had become fed up with his human half and gladly exchanged it for Master's ghost half. It had taken him less than four days to decide he would rather be free of his pesky emotions. It had taken him less than a week to destroy all of Wisconsin, and the next day he had successfully battled the Justice league. He understood that the past had slightly, and because of their battle some delays were to be expected, but two weeks?This was taking too long.

After the explosion, when he could still feel the heat of the resulting fire warm his chilled body, he had felt so incredibly strong. He had felt as if he could reconquer the world a hundred times over. He had flown off to the ghost zone knowing his future was secure, only this time, there would be two Phantoms to wreak havoc across the , two weeks later, he felt weak. His movements were becoming lethargic, like a human's. His ecto-blasts were weaker than they had been in ten years, and his ghostly-wail was almost nonexistent. Dan was fading, and he was determined to find out why.

* * *

It had been one week since Danny had moved into Wayne Manor and Dick had made little progress in helping Danny. Both Bruce and Alfred were extremely worried. Danny hardly ever ate, and when he did, he ate very little. As a result, Danny had lost an unhealthy amount of weight. Danny still wasn't talking, or moving, or even sleeping. His heart rate was low, and his temperature was slightly under the healthy limit as had called in many doctors, all of whom declared that there was nothing physically wrong with Danny, and believed that Danny's heart rate and body temperature were side effects of his lack of food and Doctor even had the audacity to recommend Arkahm, because Danny was _obviously_ suffering from a mental condition, and Arkahm was _obviously _better equipped for his care. Honestly, Dick would be surprised if that man ever got a job again.

It was Dick's job on days such as this, when Bruce was off on "overseas business," to care for Danny. Sometimes Dick would have to check on his burns, feed him and give him water, or some more embarrassing things he'd rather not think about. Usually his job was just to keep Danny company so that someone would be there if Danny ever came out of his stupor. Alfred also didn't want Danny to be left alone in case something went , Dick was tasked with attempting to force some food down his brother's throat.

Dick tried to coerce Danny into swallowing some applesauce. They had learned earlier that trying to feed Danny solids was a bad , however, stubbornly refused to open his mouth. With a sigh of frustration Dick set down the applesauce. Danny had eaten half the container; it was more than yesterday, but still not nearly enough.

"You really should take better care of yourself." Dick stated. He had developed the habit of talking to Danny during his visits. Sometimes Dick would try to comfort Danny in the hopes that he would respond, at other times Dick used Danny as a blank wall when he had a bad day.

"I know how painful it is to lose your family, I understand, but you can't live the rest of your life like this, Danny. My parents were murdered too you know. Sometimes when I look back and I think about what I do now, I feel as though I let them down that night. Sometimes It feels like after all I've done in Gotham I should have been able to save them. I know that there was nothing I could have done, but it still sometimes feels like I've betrayed them, you know what I mean? This whole hero thing really changes your perspective on things like that. Now I protect people, and I'd like to think if that night happened again now they wouldn't have died."

Dick turned to face Danny. It was obvious Danny hadn't heard a word Dick said. "It gets better, but you have to accept the fact that they're gone first. I know you probably didn't hear a word I said, but I hope it helps anyway."

Glancing at the time Dick's heart skipped a beat. "Crap! I'm going to be late for training! BC is going to murder me. Don't tell Alfred I left you alone."

Dick jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs and into the cave using the full extent of his Russian vocabulary, his chat with Danny already gone from his mind.

* * *

Danny had long ago stopped trying to find that perfect future. He had failed to protect his family, that was all. Danny's mind was blank. He had long been unable to form a complete thought. He could feel himself fading away. He knew he was dying. Fenton and Phantom. It didn't matter. He didn't...

"...care..." A small voice floated past him.

Why should he care?It was over. He had always been destined to...

"...lose..." The voice returned.

Danny grew angry at the voice. There was no way it could...

"...understand..." The voice again interrupted.

What did this voice want?

"Live."

Why should he live? Danny had failed to protect his town, his family, his friends. What else could he do?

"...let them down..."

Let them down? Ha! Danny had already done that. He couldn't do it again. Could he?

"...betrayed them..."

Yes, Danny knew he had betrayed his family, so then what was the point? He should just give up.

"No."

Well then what should he do? He was useless. The only thing he had ever been able to do well was...

"...protect people..."

But he couldn't do that anymore. He wasn't strong enough. Dan proved that.

"Get better."

That was true if he got better at protecting, then he could make sure nothing like that day could ever happen again! But how could he get better?

"Training!"

NSS! But how could he train? He learned to control his powers by himself, but he only really only got any training"on the job" so to speak. But... perhaps someone else could help him train? Surely he wasn't the only good ghost alive. there must be another good ghost in the ghost zone that could help him.

Danny would get better. He would never let anyone die again.

"Don't tell Alfred I left you alone."

...What?


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hey guys! Bet you all thought I gave up didn't you. I'm extremely sorry about the wait. Life caught up with me. I have a lot of things going on these next few months and I'm having trouble finding the time to write. Unfortunately, this might not be the last delay like this. I will try to post the next chapter before the end of the week to make up for my delay on this one, but I ask that you are all patient with me for the next few weeks. The only two dates that I am practically positive I won't be able to update on are September 28th (I'll be out of state for the entire weekend without access to a computer) and October 5th (Homecoming/SAT/Football game I'm required to attend/work) Thanks for you're understanding. Please know I am not giving up on this story. Once again Please Review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

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When retelling this story Danny would say he'd woken up in a strange room and immediately adopted a defensive attitude. In reality, Danny hadn't woken up at all. When he attempted to open his eyes, he was surprised to realize that they were already open. Colors and shapes slowly filled his view. Danny rubbed his eyes once or twice in an attempt to speed up the return of his vision, but he only succeeded in poking his right eye, and looking like an idiot out of some children's cartoon.

Once Danny's vision completely returned, It took him a few minutes to process his surroundings. First he noticed the hunger; then he noticed the container of applesauce next to his bed; but It wasn't his bed. It wasn't his room, and this wasn't his house. Danny began to panic, though these realizations were not as alarming as the ones that followed. The bed was huge. The room was ginormous, and Danny could only assume the rest of the house was as well. Danny knew only one person with a .

Panic rising, Danny bolted out the door and down the hallway. The interior was thankfully bare of Green Bay Packers memorabilia, and was decorated instead in a dark Gothic theme. The unfamiliar hallways soon proved themselves to be a maze, with Danny hopelessly trapped inside. The fact that Vlad seemed to not be associated with this new mansion did little to calm Danny's nerves. He was alone, in a strange place, and unsure of how or why he was even here to begin with.

Turning yet another corner which led to yet another hallway, Danny fell. He missed a step when his foot failed to touch the floor. On his way down, Danny managed to grab hold of a nearby suit of armor which came crashing through the floor with him. The fall lasted longer than it should have, and when Danny's face finally met with the floor, he found himself lying on cold hard rock rather than the wooden surface on which he tripped. Searing pain rippled through his body. Danny was positive his nose was broken, one of his arms was twisted painfully underneath his body, and his left ankle didn't feel all that great either.

"Ow." Danny voiced to the ground.

Danny rolled over onto his back, already the pain had reduced to a dull throb due to his accelerated healing. One of his more valuable tricks honestly, if only it dulled the pain sooner. Looking up, Danny could see the reason for the long fall and his pain. Above him was the rough roof of a cave with half the torso of a suit of armor embedded in the rock. Danny was holding a gauntlet in his hand. Who builds their house on top of a cave? Danny thought annoyed. curiously, he turned his head to get a better glimpse of the rest of the cave.

"Wow!" Danny couldn't help but exclaim. He was not expecting this. To his left, a giant complex of metal walkways and platforms connected different levels of the cave. All of these walkways either seemed to extend from or lead to a main platform that housed a large computer console, two chairs, and a rope swing. The last of which seemed very odd and out-of-place in the overly technology ridden space.

The rope swing wasn't the oddest sight, however, from what Danny could see, there was a giant penny, a jet, a brightly colored motorcycle, a weird metal tunnel-ly thing, and a _dinosaur_ also adorning the large room. Danny, forgetting his current situation, jumped down onto a large empty platform below him. Stumbling on his hurt ankle for only a few seconds, Danny raced to the giant computer. There seemed to be no monitor. Against better judgment, Danny pressed a random button. Immediately, a giant holographic screen appeared demanding a password. Tucker would love ...this was really cool.

A sound similar to a garage door opening filled the cave. Danny instinctively dove for cover behind the computer. Peeking his head around the console, Danny watched as a large, dark, and very expensive car pulled onto the empty platform. The roof slid open and a dark shadow jumped out from the drivers seat. Even with the shadow's back towards Danny, he recognized the man. Nervously, Danny curled up behind the console, choosing to stare at a small smudge of green on the cave wall. What was he doing in Batman's cave? The idea was both frightening and exciting. Pushing such thoughts aside, Danny gathered his courage and once again peeked around at the car.

Batman was gone.

"What are you doing in here?"

Danny whipped his head back around so fast he became dizzy and stumbled out from his hiding spot. He stared in shock at the Batman who had seemingly materialized behind him.

"What are you doing in here?" Batman repeated. His voice was low, calm, and coarse. His question seemed more like an order, which, in truth, it was. There was no anger, or even surprise in his voice, just a calm demanding tone. It was terrifying.

"I-I-" Danny stuttered, literally trembling under the hero's glare.

Through some kind of divine intervention, or perhaps just luck,Danny was spared from having to answer the question; for at that moment, a flash of light burst from the metal tunnel behind him, gaining all of the Batman's attention. Had Danny been smarter, he would have taken this distraction and ran.

"Where were you?" Batman demanded, but this time the question was not directed at Danny.

" I'm training with BC at the cave." A voice rang out behind Danny without a pause. Danny's heart skipped a beat, his arm slipped through the floor. That voice. It was the same one he had heard earlier...when he was drowning in his own thoughts. Danny turned his head to see the voice. Behind him stood a small boy sporting an impish smile standing in front of the metal tunnel. Danny Immediately recognized the costume.

"Then why are you not at the cave?" Batman asked in a voice Danny assumed was accompanied with the raising of one eyebrow.

"We're practicing stealth. It's basically hide 'n seek."

"And what are you doing here?" Batman again asked. There was a hint of amusement in his voice. It did not decrease the intimidation.

"Hiding." Robin laughed. "I'll go back in an hour or two so everyone doesn't freak out...maybe" There was a pause where Robin suddenly adopted a look of confusion. "What's up Bats?"

"Why is there a suit of armor in my ceiling?" Batman's glare dug into Danny like daggers.

Danny smiled sheepishly up at the Dark Knight. He attempted to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment realizing too late that he was still holding the gauntlet.

"Heh. I can fix that." Danny supplied uncertainly.

"We'll finish this talk upstairs. Both of you." Batman turned with a dramatic sweep of his cape and walked away from the boys.

"I'm impressed." Robin strode over to Danny offering him a hand, and pulling him to his feet. "You did really well. Kid Flash peed is pants when he first met Batman. It was hysterical."

Danny could only nod and silently follow the smaller boy through the cave. When it came to facing down the Batman or Vlad, he would have preferred Vlad.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys...nothing really to say. Thanks for your support. Please Review and all that jazz. Seriously guys please review. It really helps to have your input. Just a reminder that I most likely won't be able to update in the next few weeks, but I'll try my hardest. Once again, thank you.

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If Bruce Wayne was truly honest with himself, he would admit he had a small flare for the dramatic. Well, maybe it was a bit more than a flare. Alfred had once half jokingly called it an obsession. Bruce feared he had passed this particular trait on to his young ward, which, when combined with Richard's natural theatricality, obtained from years in the circus, could lead to some very catastrophic and, admittedly, hilarious situations. This was one of those times.

Bruce had, of course, overheard Dick's comment to Danny, and knew that although the content of the message would be otherwise encouraging, Dick had good-naturedly meant it to intimidate the older boy. It had worked. Bruce also knew that everything Dick had said and done since first seeing Danny in the Batcave was part of one large theatrical buildup to the "big revelation" as Clark had called it. Dick was not going easy on the kid either. Normally, Dick would be climbing all over Bruce, demanding that he be told the details of the mission and complaining about not being allowed to accompany him. Instead, his protégé was simply following Bruce through the cave towards the changing rooms in silence.

The tension soon became tangible, even to Bruce, as the group's footsteps echoed off the cave walls. He briefly considered stopping, and putting the poor kid at ease by offering a little comfort. This thought was quickly shooed away because, first of all, he was still in character at the moment, and -unless under life or death circumstances- The Batman did not comfort. Second, Dick would never let Bruce hear the end of it if he ruined his fun now. They were seemingly childish reasons, he knew, but Bruce did say he was a bit over-dramatic.

Bruce quickly came upon the changing rooms, allowing his mouth to twitch upward when he heard Dick say, "Stay here, you really don't want to get lost in here." Both heroes entered the rooms quickly changing into their civilian clothing, knowing full well that Danny was probably waiting for an eternity for the duo to return.

They returned to find Danny nervously shifting from foot to foot exactly where they had left him. Upon seeing Batman and Robin in regular clothing, with unmasked faces, Danny seemed to freeze. The boy's mouth slacked open in a comical "o" causing Dick to smirk. It was obvious Danny recognized him- Bruce would have been shocked if he didn't- and the disbelief was obvious in his eyes.

"Bruce, I think we broke him." Robin laughed, lightly tapping the frozen boy on the shoulder. At these words Danny broke free from his shock and began to stumble for words.

"I believe I said we should take this upstairs." Bruce said lightheartedly directing the children to the stairway and into the manor. A flare for the dramatic: there was truly never a more useful trait.

Danny was petrified. Were all Billionaires secret heroes/villains? Finding out Vlad was an evil half-ghost hybrid was nowhere near as shocking as finding out that_ The Batman_ was _The Bruce Wayne._ Bruce Wayne; as in the owner of Wayne Industries; as in the man who his dad would never shut up about; as in the billionaire playboy disappeared for seven years before coming back to claim his business. And now, Danny was sitting across from the Bruce Wayne, who happened to be one of the most respected heroes in the world, mentally asking himself how he could have possibly gotten himself into this situation. _Way to go Fenton. _

"Well Danny," Bruce Wayne started the conversation. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. You really should eat though, I imagine you're hungry." Danny could only nod; his voice having failed to return since Batman became Bruce Wayne. "Dick can you go tell Alfred to bring out some food. Four plates please. I think we'll eat dinner a bit early tonight."

"Yes, sir." The boy beside Danny replied before leaving the room. This left Danny alone with the Batman. The Batman who was Bruce Wayne.

"Danny, do you know where you are?" Bruce Wayne asked calmly.

"Gotham?" Danny couldn't really answer anything more specific than that. Batman and Bruce Wayne did live in Gotham, or so he'd been told.

Bruce Wayne just smiled kindly as if he'd been expecting this answer. "Yes, you are in Gotham. Wayne manor to be more precise. You have been living here for two weeks."

Two weeks!? That couldn't be right. Danny was Amity Park just a few days ago...right?

"You were in some sort of mental stupor. It was quite severe. There was nothing anyone could do to 'wake you up,' so to speak. That is one reason why you are here, Gotham has better resources to take care of you than Amity Park. Still your condition was strange. Do you know why it was so extreme?" The last question sounded more like an interrogation and it was not a question Danny was prepared to answer.

At that moment, the door burst open loudly and the other boy, Robin, entered balancing three large trays of food, one on each arm and one on his head. he was followed by an elderly man who was also holding a tray. The man seemed rather annoyed with the boy's balancing act, especially when he almost dropped one as he set another down. Danny was rather grateful for the interruption. This was twice now that the boy-whose name he really needed to remember- had saved him from answering uncomfortable questions.

Both people, after serving the food, joined Danny and Bruce Wayne. Everyone began to eat. Danny, still uncomfortable and unsure what to do tentatively followed suit. The food was delicious, and although he couldn't name half of the food on the plate, Danny quickly devoured the dish, not realizing how hungry he had been.

"Master Bruce," The old man addressed the billionaire, politely wiping his mouth with a napkin, "Are you aware that there is a helmet embedded in the upstairs hallway floor?"

Danny flinched.

"Yes I am, Alfred." Bruce Wayne replied. "The rest of the armor seems to be stuck in the basement ceiling."

"Do you know how it could possibly have gotten there." The old man...Al-something...stared pointedly at the other boy.

*Clang* Danny's glass fell through his grasp...litteraly. "I-I'm so sorry." Danny stuttered. "I'll clean it up."

"No need." The old man sighed.

"Danny?" Bruce asked. the 'is there something you wish to tell us' was implied.

Danny was completely unsure of what to do. He just sat there in anxious silence hoping the situation would just blow over.

"Danny it's OK. We know, and we aren't going to rat you out. Promise." The other boy said with a supportive grin that was less than comforting. They Knew? They knew what? Oh man, Danny really hoped they didn't know that.

"Know what?" Danny tried, and failed to keep his nervousness from showing.

"Well Danny, that would be the other reason I took you in." Bruce Wayne stated matter-of-factly. "We know what you are going through. We know what you've been doing these past few years. We know your secret."

Despite the cryptic language, Danny understood exactly what the man was talking about. The thought scared him. After all He'd done to protect his secret, these people made it sound as if it was the most obvious fact known to man. He wanted nothing but to disappear, rewind time, anything to escape this situation. With all the panic rushing through his body, and all the thoughts running through his mind; the only thing Danny could say was: "How?"

"Your facial and body structures are identical, Your voice and speech patterns just slightly less so..." Bruce Wayne began.

"...And your names?" The other boy interrupted. "Danny Phantom, Danny Fenton... I'm surprised no one figured it out earlier."

"We do want to help you Danny," Bruce Wayne reclaimed the conversation. "But we're going to need you to tell us about you first."

Danny contemplated this for a moment. All his hard kept secrets, and they wanted to know everything. every fiber of his body screamed for Danny to run, to deny it all, but if you couldn't trust Batman, then who could you trust? Besides, there was no escaping now. So, after a long, deep breath, Danny began. He started from the beginning, carefully detailing the lab accident, the ghost fights, everything from the past to the present.

"...and then my...trance...these past few weeks. Well, that was um, because I lost... Poindexter warned me about it once, after we got over the whole bully episode. All ghosts have an obsession, and when a ghost fails to complete their obsession, they start to fade away. It's happening to Skulker because he can't catch me, and It happened to me when I lost..." Danny trailed off unwilling to finish the sentence. He turned to the other boy with a grateful smile. "If it weren't for you I would have faded away completely. I heard your voice in my head, and well basically gave me a new reason to live. It's sappy I know, but It's true."

The other boy was shocked, clearly at a loss for words.

"Well, I do believe it's bedtime. For all three of you." The old man interrupted. "I'm sure we can finish this conversation in the morning. Master Dick, if you would show Master Danny to his room please."

The boy...Dick... nodded and gestured for Danny to follow, quietly mumbling about bedtimes and 7:00. Danny thought he heard Bruce Wayne do the same. Danny followed Dick through the maze of the mansion, hoping he could remember the way back tomorrow. Eventually, Dick stopped in a hallway that looked suspiciously like all the others they had passed.

"This is your room right here, mine is the next door over if you need anything. Danny, We all know what you're going through. Bruce and I have been there ourselves. If you ever need to talk about it, we're all here for you."

Danny again nodded and entered his room. It was the same room he woke up in he realized. The container of applesauce was tipped over pouring out onto the nightstand. He quickly cleaned it up. In the dresser he found a pair of pajama's. In the attached bathroom he found all the necessary toiletries. Slowly, as he went through the room, the realization sank in that this _was_ his room now. Fenton Works was gone. Amity Park was basically gone. His family was gone. As he lay down in the bed, and looked up at the bare ceiling that was void of the stars and constellations that had decorated his ceiling at home; for the first time since his family died, Danny cried.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hey Guys. Thanks everyone for being patient with me these last few weeks, my schedule isn't unfortunately calming down, but I will try to go back to having a more regular update schedule. That being said, something very interesting happened to me on this site a few weeks back. I Favorited a story but didn't review. The author actually PM'd me calling me out on that fact. I naturally felt so guilty for not reviewing that I went back and wrote that author a novel of a review. So, unless you want me to start doing that, PLEASE REVIEW! Your input is always welcome. Lastly, Blak-Ice, remember when I said you gave me an Idea for a chapter...HERE IT IS! Hope you all like it. Ta Ta for now.

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This was absurd. This was absolutely ridiculous. It's been almost three weeks! Three weeks since Richard spoke to him! God, that kid earned his nickname. Dick had been ignoring Wally ever since that ghost police thing. What did he even do wrong? Whatever it was, Dick was holding a grudge like a girl. The brat had been dodging him for weeks. He even skipped out of stealth training last night! They always worked as a team during stealth training! Wally lost because of him! ...Okay, that was unfair, Wally would have lost regardless. Still, Dick totally left him hanging! Anyways, enough was enough, Wally was going to confront that kid in the one place where Dick couldn't run. Wayne Manor.

With an hour before school, tired, and on an empty stomach, Wally dashed across the country allowing muscle memory to guide him to Gotham. He began playing out the possible scenarios in his mind. Best case scenario: Ten minutes to get there, they'd throw a few punches like men and then they would talk it out. They'd "kiss and made up" before he ran for ten minuets back to school with a case of Alfred's cookies. Worst case scenario: Dick booby-trapped the manor, and Wally doesn't make it home alive. But, what if there's a worse case scenario? A Worst-Worst case scenario only Robin could think of...or Batman! Oh, God.

Wally just about turned around at that point. He would have too if he weren't already standing at the entrance gate to Wayne Manor. With a nervous gulp, Wally launched himself over the gate and ran through the garden in the path he and Dick had plotted (trough a little trial and much error) to Dick's room that avoided the manor's security. Stopping underneath the window, Wally had an Idea. He would go into the next room over and catch Dick by surprise. That way, the doorway would be blocked when he confronted Dick. It was Brilliant!

Wally took a few steps back, before running at the house. With practiced ease, Wally scampered up the wall and grabbed hold of the third story windowsill. As he pulled himself up and through the window, he realized how lucky he was that the window was actually open. If it hadn't been, he would have had to run back down and try Dick's window, which is only ever open when it Dick knew Wally was coming over. It did not do to plead your way into the house of the person you want to scold.

At a speed that would have made Flash proud, and a move that would have made Artemis laugh, Wally ran headfirst into a black haired, blue-eyed boy. A boy who was certainly not Dick Grayson. There was a split second where both boys stared at each other confusedly. Somewhere in the back of Wally's mind, the fact registered that this was not someone he recognized, and might therefor be an intruder, but his mind was still recovering from the crash. Unfortunately, the other boy recovered first.

"Who are you?" Not-Dick demanded.

"Who are you?" Wally responded in kind.

"What are you doing here?" Not-Dick dropped into a defensive stance.

"Now hold on." Wally backed up defensively.

"Did Vlad send you? What are you doing in my room?"

"Your room?" Wally was completely confused. "Wait...What?"

Not-Dick lunged at Wally in an attempted punch. Wally quickly dodged, thankfully remembering BC's training. Not-Dick was fast. His attacks kept coming at a speed suspiciously similar the that of a speedster. Despite his speed, Not-Dick's fighting style was crude, similar to Wally's before Black Canary began training him. The fight did not last long however, as Not-Dick aimed a kick at Wally that caused the speedster to drop his defenses for a split second in order to dodge. Instead of trying to swipe Wally's feet out from under him, as one would anticipate, the other kid pushed Wally with one hand and his palm open. Although unconventional, it was effective. Wally soon found himself on the floor with his hand pinned behind his back and Not-Dick shouting questions again.

Not-Dick's interrogation halted when a very familiar laugh sounded through the doorway. Wally struggled to crane his neck to see the newcomer, though the most he managed was viewing Dick's shoes.

"Oh My Gosh! Danny! Wally!" Dick managed through hiccups of laughter. There was a bright light that seemed suspiciously like a camera flash. "And I thought that someone had..." Dick erupted into laughter again.

"You know this kid?" Both brawlers asked at the same time.

Struggling to contain his laughter Dick explained. "Danny this is Wally. He's a friend. Wally this is Danny...my brother."

"You have a brother?" Dick had a brother? Wally was genuinely shocked. Why hadn't Dick told him? Oh man, Wally was going to have words with his fiend.

"Pleased to meet you." Danny said icily applying more pressure to Wally's back. Wally squeaked in pain.

"Is everyone alright?" The concerned voice of the Manor's Butler rang through the room."

"Yes Alfred, Wally just stopped by for a visit unannounced. There's no need for the broom." Dick began laughing again.

"I see. I suppose you will all be late for class then. I'll call the school, and your uncle as well Wally. The cookies are in the third cabinet to the left when you leave." Alfred was the best Butler ever. Wally was definitely heading straight for those cookies.

Still, there were a few issues Wally had to deal with first. Namely: "Will you please GET OFF ME!"

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"I still can not believe you didn't tell me you had a brother." Wally said, or at least that's what Dick thought he said. Wally's face was stuffed full of cookies making it almost impossible to decipher his speech. Danny had long since made himself scarce obviously as enthusiastic about the idea of spending time with Wally as Dick was at the moment. At least Danny had a good reason to ditch the redhead.

"Must have slipped my mind." Dick answered in a bored manner.

"Yea right. And, I mean how come you introduced me as just a friend anyways? Who is that kid?"

"He's Danny. Danny Fenton."

"That kid from the ghost case? Dude, I didn't think you would go adopt the guy!" Wally shoveled the more cookies into his mouth. At least the Idiot had a memory.

"Well you don't think much do you." The venom in his voice surprised even Dick.

"Seriously Dick, why are you so mad at me?"

"Oh, I don't know: 'What are you doing today Robin?' 'Oh he's just poking into murder cases because it's fun!'" Dick mockingly imitated Wally while stealing the last cookie from the speedster's hand and shoving it indignantly into his own mouth.

"Oh, Dick I'm sorry I didn't mean.." Realization evident on Wally's face.

"You made me look like a total immature jerk! You should have known better, Especially you! You know me. You know my back-story! Do you really think I would treat murder as a game?!"

"No." Wally's reply was guilt ridden.

"It's just, being the youngest, everyone always expects me to be the most immature. And, after my disastrous attempts at being leader when the team first formed...heavy on the dis... everything I say or do isn't usually taken seriously. Everyone just thinks I'm a little troll."

"Which you are." Wally said playfully and received a hard punch in the gut. "OW!"

"I may be a troll, but no more so than you or Artemis. I wasn't the one who dyed Roy's uniform pink! I wasn't the one that put Conner in a dress! And, contrary to popular belief, I was not the one who rigged all the showers with laughing gas! That was all you!"

"True, but I am an Idiot remember."

"The Troll and The Idiot, we're quite a pair aren't we." Dick laughed.

"Yes, yes we are."

A short silence fell upon the duo.

"Friends?" Wally finally asked hopefully.

"Best Friends." Dick replied. "By the way, Is Zatanna still avoiding me?"

"Oh Dick, you have no idea..."


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Hi everyone. Sorry this is a bit late, I had this written out and was bout ready to post it, but then I decided I didn't like it so I went back and rewrote it. Also, apparently threatening you doesn't motivate anyone to review, so I'm going to try a different approach. The week I get a grand total of 80 reviews for this story, I will post two chapters instead of one. Please Review! If everyone could find one way they think I could improve, my work would improve tremendously. Even if you just specifically tell me something I'm doing right so I don't decide to change it I would be happy. Thanks and enjoy.

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"Danny, you have to trust me! You have to Jump!" Dick pleaded with his brother who was desperately clinging onto the slim silver bar seventy feet above the ground.

"No! I can't! I-I'll find another way out of this! Just go!" Danny stuttered, refusing to release his hold on the thin metal object.

"Danny please! I'll catch you; I promise! You have to trust me! Just Jump and then let go!" Dick could only hope his brother would listen instead of playing the stubborn hero he was intent on being.

"What If this doesn't work?" The desperation in his voice was unmistakable.

"It will work." Dick answered reassuringly. "Just don't look down, and don't close your eyes."

"O-okay." Danny answered shakily. Dick could see his brother exhale, brace himself and jump.

Dick immediately jumped after him , swinging his legs over his own bar and stretching his own arms out beneath him. Dick could feel the cool air rush past his face. He could feel his stomach drop in the familiar sensation of flying. He saw Danny coming closer; almost close enough to reach him.

"Now!" Dick screamed over the rush of air.

Danny let go of the bar with perfect timing, if not form. Dick saw Danny's face morph to fear for one second as he fell. Dick felt their arms catch, and they clung to each other tightly. He could feel the Danny's relief as Dick deposited him safely on the other platform before swinging across one more time and then joining him.

Climbing down the ladder, Danny leapt for the floor laughing in joy at the feel of solid earth underneath his feet. "Let's never do that again." Danny stated seriously.

"Who knew a flying ghost could be so scared of heights." Dick laughed.

"That was a death trap, this is a completely different situation." Danny and Dick both gazed up at the trapeze above them. The bars still swung slightly from their stunt. "Couldn't we have started at the beginner level?"

"That was the beginner level." Danny shot Dick a look of bewilderment and disbelief "You had a net didn't you?"

"That is completely besides the point. We could have started lower to the ground like say, five feet."

"You got off easy, my father actually pushed me off the platform the first time I flew, and I was only five. We should do this again."

"No." Danny stated simply.

The two engaged in a silent battle of wills each glaring the other boy down. Dick had to choke down a laugh as the silence grew longer, afraid that if even one giggle escaped his lips not only unable to stop and die of laughter, but he would lose the current war as well.

"Fine." Danny finally relented, "But the next time we do one of these trust exercises we go flying my way."

"Yes!" Dick rejoiced, leaving Danny with a completely baffled look on his face.

"You do realize he's been trying to goad you into that for days now right." Alfred came into the cave chuckling at Danny's bemusement. Danny in response just rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Bruce quickly joined the small gathering, already dressed in his usual night attire and complementary stoic expression."Boys, pack up your equipment and suit up, we're heading out."

"Were are we going?" Danny asked.

"Mount Justice, I think It's time we introduced you to the team."

"The Team?" Danny's voice cracked at the statement.

Unlike Danny, Dick had been waiting for this day for a while now. Danny Had Made a lot of progress in the past two months. They had taken a trip down to Amity Park to visit Danny's friends' and family's graves. They had helped him properly mourn his loss as well as tie up a few loose phantom strings as well. They had rescued a few of the Fentons' inventions, such as the Fenton Thermos, Fenton Phones, and Fenton Blasters, and the inventions deemed dangerous were completely destroyed along with their blueprints. It had been hard for Danny, destroying his parents work, but it was necessary. The Fenton Ghost Portal had been a completely different story. The three had completely deconstructed it and rebuilt it in the cave, with a new and improved lock and filter to ensure there would be no ghost leakages like in Amity Park. Danny had kept a watchful eye on the Ghost Zone for the first few weeks, even disappearing for days at a time, before finally becoming satisfied that none of his family had become ghosts. It was the first step to moving on.

Danny had practically begged Batman to train him. A fortunate event as neither Bruce nor Dick knew how to approach the subject. Danny would often practice and train for hours on end, taking breaks only to eat or roam the green abyss. This behavior had set a perpetual frown on Bruce's face, and reminded Dick of those first few terrifying moments after his parent's death, the ones filled with Zucco. Bruce had then required that Danny participate in trust exercises with Dick. These trust exercises started out as little more than glorified play days, but now, well they were still play days, but they took place seventy feet in the air. At least Danny almost smiled afterwards.

Despite hours of training, Danny's powers became the most trying part of his adjustment. After weeks of disuse, Danny's control of them had been less than asterous. He would often float off the ground or sink through the floor at random inconvenient times. Something that frustrated the half-ghost to no end. Danny had been permanently banned from handling any glass instruments in his science class, and only Dick was willing to be his partner. Needless to say the pair's experiments always had interesting results.

Dick changed into his Robin persona, slipping on his sunglasses over his superhero civvies. He carefully watched Danny as he transformed into Phantom. Dick remembered being appalled when he first laid eyes on Phantom's sorry excuse for a uniform. There had been no armor or protection of any kind. Yes, granted the fabric was self-mending, and Danny would be safe if he landed in a vat of toxic chemicals, but that probably wasn't the kids biggest concern at the moment. Danny was lucky he hadn't died yet. OK, poor choice of words.

Batman had thankfully designed a new uniform complete with a Kevlar body and combat boots and gloves. The overall design looked exactly like the original, something Danny would not compromise on, with the exception of the addition of a white utility belt complete with all the standard Bat-weaponry and a few Fenton toys as well.

Danny now Phantom looked nervously at Dick now Robin. "What If.."

"Phantom, you're acting like a little girl." Robin mockingly scolded. He refused to let Danny finish those thoughts, knowing full well how they would fester and grow until he could believe nothing else. "They'll like you."

Phantom almost smiled.

Dick remembered when he first met Wally. He remembered the feeling when he first found out there was another sidekick out there. He remembered the first time he saved Wally's sorry butt. Wally saved his not even three seconds later. They became practically inseparable after that. Wally used to rant about how Robin was his idol and inspiration. It had been the single most annoying thing Robin had ever endured. Kid Flash was his best friend. Having Kid Flash is what allowed Robin to survive the hero business this long. Despite Batman's insistence, the hero gig couldn't be a solo act. The sooner you learned that the better. The team would like Danny. After all, Danny's witty banter was superb; and who doesn't want to be friends with someone who was fluent in quips?

"Let's go." Batman's voice echoed through the cave. before a bright flash of light erupted from the Zeta tube.

_Batman 02 _

"Hey Phantom, guess what!? Today's the day!"

_Robin B-01 _

Although Robin couldn't see Phantom's response due to the blinding light surrounding him, he heard the Zeta tube's enthusiastic voice announce the young halfa, and he smiled.

_Phantom B-10_


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Here you go! By popular demand I have posted a slightly longer chapter (I expect that the chapters will continue to slowly lengthen after this). I still don't have 80 reviews so no extra chapter, however, the deal is still on so...REVIEW! Thanks and enjoy.

* * *

No. NO! NO! Dan threw a nearby table against the wall. There was only a soft thud as the wood collided with the metal wall. The wall was unharmed and the desk had only a small crack through it's middle to show for the violent act. Two months ago that wall would have crumbled under the weight of one finger. Two months ago he wouldn't have had to wander the ghost zone in desperate search for a portal that would allow him to escape into the humans' pathetic world. Two months ago, Dan had been content to saunter about the Ghost Zone in calm anticipation of his doppelganger's arrival. His future had seem so secure then. Now that future was falling apart, and the pieces seemed to be hiding where he could not find them.

Even after Dan had finally escaped his ectoplasmic prison, he'd had no luck in finding his future. A visit to Masters had yielded only a lonely billionaire endlessly mourning the loss of the love of his life. Danny was nowhere to be found. Fentonworks, Dan's current haunting ground, proved to be another fruitless endeavor. The walls and cabinets had been stripped of all inventions, the ghost portal missing, and no Danny. It was as if the child had simply vanished from this earth.

Maybe Dan had altered the future too much? What if his simple involvement had caused the future events to spiral out of control with the addition of extra variables all leading to multiple different outcomes unforeseeable by any party involved in this convoluted drama? Dan knew the future wasn't written in stone. He knew that his presence would cause some discrepancies; he was prepared for that. He was not prepared for this.

Dan needed to find Danny fast; and there was only one ghost who could do it.

* * *

The three seconds of blinding light during which a great force compressed his entire body into what felt like the space of a marble and hurdled him to an unseen location at the speed of light was all it took for Danny to forget everything Robin and Batman had told him about meeting the team. Names, abilities and backgrounds that had been forcefully filed into his head came pouring through his brain in a chaotic jumble of words and pictures. Only when his mind was completely empty of all useful information did Danny feel his body snap back into place and his vision return to him.

The first image he saw was a small green-skinned redheaded girl with her back facing him floating a good three feet off the ground. He immediately retreated into his own invisibility while floating cautiously over to the Gotham duo. Ghost! was Danny's first reaction, but despite the girl's ghostly coloring and apparent levitation, she lacked the ghostly glow and wild features that characterized all ghosts in existence. She looked as if she couldn't even kick a puppy if it would save her life. Danny's ghost-sense hadn't alerted him of her presence either. She obviously wasn't human. so what was she?

"Team report to mission briefing room." Batman's voice echoed around the cave and down the hallways. If it weren't for the small holographic computer terminal that had appeared in front of the senior hero, Danny would have thought it was the Bat's own superpower that allowed his voice to fill the cave.

The green skinned girl, obviously surprised by the loud announcement, lost control of her flight and stumbled to the ground while muttering shy quiet statements of "Mr. Batman" and "startled me...didn't hear you come in."

"That's quite an accomplishment given how the zeta tube literally shouted our names." Robin remarked.

"Lost in thought, I guess." The girl replied sheepishly. "Sorry."

Robin continued the conversation with the girl casually exchanging recipes for cookies and other baked goods, but every few seconds Robin would nonchalantly glance over to where Danny hovered invisibly. If Danny didn't know better, he would have thought Robin could actually see him. Not for the first time, Danny questioned whether or not the Dynamic Duo didn't have superpowers after all.

More teenagers slowly wandered into the cave joining the small group in the center of the room. The first to arrive was another girl dressed in green- must be a popular color around here- sporting a large quiver and bow as well as a midriff that would have made even Ember green with jealousy. The archer was followed by two other girls, a young African American in black and the other dressed as a magician. The rest of the group included a young man with gills, Superman (if Superman was sixteen and loved t-shirts and combat boots) and of course, Wally. Robin had warned Danny that Kid Flash was a member of the team, but Danny had hoped not to have run into him so soon. None of the new arrivals triggered Danny's ghost-sense.

While the group slowly assembled, Danny took the time to truly examine his surroundings. The cave was mostly empty except for the large circular metal platform that decorated the rocky floor like a rug. After witnessing the holographic computer however, Danny highly doubted the metal platform was anything but decoration. Many hallways branched out from the main room to the east and west like a seven-legged spider. Danny made a mental note to explore those passages as soon as possible. The whole scene was breathtaking.

Finally, when everyone had arrived, batman spoke again. "Team, as I am sure you are aware, Robin and I have been notably absent from Team activities over the past few months. We have been previously occupied In Gotham with a very sensitive issue," Danny mentally protested to being labeled an "issue." "But now I would like to introduce to you your new teammate, Phantom."

Danny panicked, forgetting to drop his invisibility. There were a few moments where everyone scanned the room in search of the person Batman was trying to introduce. "Um... There's no one here." Wally stated while the rest of the group gave their silent agreement.

"He's here, he's just a bit shy." With a sharp jab to his side, Robin startled Danny out of his invisibility. The ghost let out an undignified yelp before turning to face the others.

"...Hi?" Danny supplied uncertainly.

There followed another length of silence where Danny began to shift uncomfortably and fidget in the air. The group was frozen mouths open and eyes wide; a few had even adopted a more defensive stance. It was understandable. He knew perfectly well what he looked like as a ghost, with his wild hair and sinister ghostly glow. There was a reason why many people had trouble believing in the good qualities of ghosts. They all looked like monsters and it was no wonder most of them were.

The first to recover was the green-skinned girl. She bravely came towards Danny, even floating off the ground in order to meet him properly. "Hi. My name's M'gann, but you can call me Megan. Only if you want to though, it's just my Earth name. I mean it's the name I use on Earth. I'm from Mars. I'm Manhunter's niece actually, Miss Martian. Oh, I'm confusing you now aren't I?"

The sweetness in her nervous speech was enough to make Danny smile. "I'm Phantom."He offered her his hand and M'gann readily accepted it. She tensed when their hands touched. "I'm sorry. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. It's just your hand is very cold."

"Yah, sorry, that happens when you're dead."

"Dead?" Wally scoffed.

"Yes, dead." Danny said harshly turning his attention to the redhead. "I'm a ghost."

"Oh come on, there is no such thing as a ghost. There is no scientific proof! The idea is completely …" Wally was silenced when the archer walked up next to him and punched the speedster in the arm.

"Sorry about that. He doesn't believe in magic either." The Archer rolled her eyes with the comment. "I'm Artemis, and that idiot over there is Wally, Kid Flash."

"Pleased to meet you." If anyone noticed Wally pale, they never commented on the fact.

Wally continued to protest the existence of ghosts interjecting his ramblings with whiney complaints about Artemis' apparent abuse. Danny was spared from the other boy's rants by the introductions of the remaining girls, the magician Zatanna, and Raquel, or Rocket as she preferred to be called. M'gann then eagerly introduced Danny to Superboy, Connor Kent. Connor acknowledged Danny's introduction through a grunt and proceeded to introduce Sphere and Wolf, the team's apparent pets. Danny did not comment on the unimaginative names.

Even after most of the introductions were done, Wally was still ranting about the scientific impossibilities of ghosts. Nobody was truly listening. At the point where Danny was ready to defy his better judgment and blast Wally then and there, if only for a moment of quiet, the boy with the gills stepped forward and placed a hand on Wally's shoulder effectively silencing the skeptic.

"I am Kaldur'ahm, Aqualad, and leader of this team." The boy addressed Danny. "Forgive my intrusion, but I must ask: Are you the Phantom from Amity Park who allegedly protects the town?"

"Yes, I was...certain events have forced me to move."

"Such as the recent attack on the Fenton Family." It was a statement not a question.

Danny could only nod.

"Robin and I have thoroughly investigated the case, and found that Phantom has had no part in the attack." Batman stated coolly reminding everyone of his presence. Danny was grateful for Batman's defense. "Or in any other alleged criminal activity."

"I tried to save them." Danny finally spoke. His voice was weak and shaky.

"Forgive me." Aqualad again turned to Danny. "It was known you were involved and all sources I have come across describe ghost as being..."

"Evil?" Danny finished. "I understand. Most ghost's are malevolent. That's why I chose to protect the people being haunted. All ghost's have a rough beginning; you don't get to become a ghost unless your death is particularly...violent."

"H-How did you die?" M'gann's question was barely audible. Danny visibly flinched at the question. "I-I'm sorry, it must be a touchy subject. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, It's fine. It was a lab accident. I was being stupid, careless, messing with things I shouldn't have. I was fourteen." Another solemn silence fell upon the group.

"Come on, can't you see he's faking. There are no such things as ghosts. He's just using some high-tech gadgets to simulate..."

"Wally." Batman gave the teen a stern look. "Robin, why don't you show Phantom around the cave."

Robin nodded in compliance, but it was M'gann that dragged the young halfa down a hallway and away from the group. The Martian excitedly showed Danny the kitchens, the dorm rooms, the lounge, and all the other little nooks and crannies throughout the cave. She went into great detail over the favorite activities of the teens, and constantly remarked how Danny would love it here and how he would fit right in. After the tour, M'gann coerced Danny back into the kitchen to help her bake cookies. It took her by great surprise when the first batch came to life and attacked the pair. Through alternating fits of laughter and tears, Danny explained the many effects ectoplasm had on certain objects.

M'gann and Robin also informed Danny of the usual routine at the cave. Black Canary held training sessions six days a week starting a few hours after school followed by a study hall that, according to Robin, always diverged into a totally asterous party resulting in a very big mess and very little progress on homework. All in all, Danny thought he might do well here so long as he kept clear of Wally. This was a place where he could truly learn to protect people. He wouldn't fail again.


End file.
